WhyGamesMatter

I’m taking a crack at the whole “New Year Resolution” thing, and I wanted to get my thoughts on it down while they are fresh in my mind.

In my first video series back in 2008, I focused mostly on reviewing games that I considered to be “bad.”  I moved along at a pretty good clip, producing 13 episodes of total evisceration and always going for the laugh at the game’s expense.  After completing that first series, though, I discovered two things:

1) It’s (by definition) not enjoyable playing games that you don’t enjoy, and
2) It’s not enjoyable writing cruel comments about something that teams of people poured their hearts into.

I started getting gun-shy in my reviews, partly because the snarky, mean reviewer was fundamentally out of line with my personality.  I realized that I would get more enjoyment out of turning my toward emphasizing the good in games, even bad ones.  As some of you may know, the final straw came after my review of NyxQuest; I received a very nice letter from the developers, thanking me for my kind words about the game they loved producing.

Looking back on it, I find it fascinating that I wasn’t moved by the multitude of feedback messages that bashed my “thumbs down” review of their favorite game that swayed me away from the negativity.  Instead, it was the kind word given in response to kindness that helped me to see the reality of the hours, attention, and love that go into these games.

From that point on, I resolved to keep my tone positive, and I have reaped the rewards from that positive approach in abundance. These years have been wonderful, and looking for the good in my games has enriched my life.  In the words of Lanny Poffo, “it is difficult to pour kindness out onto other people without spilling a little on yourself. “